


Surprise

by eibbil_one



Category: Twilight
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-15
Updated: 2010-09-15
Packaged: 2017-10-11 21:17:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/117228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eibbil_one/pseuds/eibbil_one
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas is coming and Bella still isn't fond of presents. What's a vampire to do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surprise

I was halfway through the bridge for an anniversary piece for my father-in-law and his new bride when the nearly-screamed thoughts crowded out everything else.

 _Damn it all. Going to do it this year. Just have to...it's all about the timing...that's all, just a quick….No. She'll see the second I leave the goddamned house._

I snapped the pencil in my hand in two as Jasper neared the music room and growled. "For God's sake, Jazz, if you're going to have a tantrum, would you mind not sharing it with the rest of us?"

My brother came up short, staring at me as if I'd grown another head before relaxing slightly.

"Sorry, Edward. But Christmas is creeping up again and I'm determined to surprise her this year," Jasper growled.

I couldn't help it, I laughed. "What, you think the past fifty years were just a result of poor planning on your part?"

"Very funny, Edward. You've no idea how lucky you are, you know? Bella'd rip your head off for even thinking of buying her something let alone expecting to be surprised."

I scowled. I'd still not convinced Bella that gifts could be a good thing. I'd hoped, futility, it seemed, that once we were on equal footing more or less that she'd take to presents with a bit more aplomb. I'd been woefully and completely wrong on that count.

Our cottage in the woods had been, to date, the only present she'd ever accepted wholeheartedly and I got the distinct impression it was because it was for me as well.

It was getting annoying.

I left Jasper to his mental diversionary tactics and started to ponder my own upcoming Christmas. I'd given Bella small things that she'd enjoyed. A CD of my music, the charm for her bracelet and the ring on her finger. Hand-me-downs and a plastic jewel case. Nothing even close to what I'd _wanted_ to give her. The Ferrari had been my first, and last, attempt at that. To date, only Jacob and his pack truly appreciated it.

Because I knew if I'd tried to give her an island to rival Esme's, she would have proven Jasper right and removed my head from my shoulders. And smiled while doing it.

I abandoned my piano and started walking. I could hear Bella upstairs giggling with Alice over something, but didn't stop to listen. It could be anything from the soap opera of our latest high school to hiding the keys to Em's Jeep again to...

I stopped mid-thought, a grin spreading across my face, my thought processes taking me to the perfect answer. A second later, I was running flat out for the cottage.

When I walked inside, Ness looked up from the game board and gave me the smile that never failed to clutch at my chest. I'd thought her mother would only ever be the one to reanimate my long-dead heart. But the little bundle of curls now sprinting across the room to leap into my arms had proved that statement quite false.

"Hello, baby girl. Beating Jacob again?"

She grinned and nodded. Her small hand touched my cheek the moment she was in my arms and I smiled when Bella's face swam before my eyes.

"Momma's back at the house, plotting some sort of devilry with your aunt." I nodded at Jacob, still sprawled across the floor and added for his benefit. "I decided I'd rather not know the specifics. Plausible deniability. "

"Good plan," he agreed. "Knowing those two, it's going to be interesting." A scowl formed then on his face and I answered his thought.

"No, I didn't hear your name attached, but as I said, I wasn't listening too closely," I smirked back at him.

Ness frowned again and pressed her hand against my cheek again. "No, I'm sure she won't attack Jacob again, sweetheart. Daddy's just teasing Jacob."

Her relieved smile made me want to sigh. But as he'd gone above and beyond anything I could have asked of anyone to protect my life, and the girls vital to that life, I still meant what I'd told Bella when the nightmare with the Volturi had ended.

She really could do worse.

Mike Newton came to mind.

"So, you just checking the status of Nessie's current round of beat-the-crap-outta-Jake-at-Trivial-Pursuit or did you have something on your mind, mind reader?"

Because I'd just been thinking of it, my memories flashed back again to those black months last year. And I knew that if anyone could help me in what I wanted to do, Jacob would. Not for me, but for Bella. As always. His love for my wife might have left him in the wake of his imprinting, but they would always be close, the best of friends.

"I need your help, Jacob."

The smile on his face widened. I hadn't thought that possible. "Don't you always?"

The growl was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

He wasn't laughing a moment later when I'd told him what I wanted, though. Instead, he immediately launched into detailed plans of how to go about it without her finding out.

I heard Bella's approach because I'd been on guard for it and hushed them both.

Pulling Nessie back into my arms and put a finger to her lips. "Not a word or picture to Momma about this, baby girl, all right? We want to surprise her. Can you do that?"

Nessie grinned and her little hand came up to my cheek again. I saw Jacob, Nessie and myself together, a team. Then Bella's bright and beautiful smile next to a tall, ornately decorated Christmas tree.

"That's my girl," I grinned and leaned down to kiss her warm forehead.

Bella walked in a moment later and surveyed the room around us. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

"You were giggling with Alice, Bella. For all I knew you'd be at it until dawn. And I was curious to see if Jacob had managed to get a toe-hold on our girl during the game. Clearly," I indicated the board on the floor, "she's still undefeated."

"I'm getting better," Jacob piped up. "Got three whole pie pieces before it was her turn."

Nessie scrambled out of my arms and flitted across the room to Jacob's, plopping her self onto his lap. Her face was drawn together when she touched his cheek.

"No, Nessie. I don't mind when you win," he smiled at her, his long arms coming around her in a hug.

Bella elbowed me before I could growl, or groan.

"It's getting late," Jacob said, unfolding his legs and standing with Nessie still in his arms. He murmured something in Quileute to her that made her giggle and she kissed his cheek before he set her on the ground again.

"See you later, Edward," he said, nodding at me once before winking at Bella and Ness, then striding out of our cottage.

"What was _that_ about?" Bella asked, already pulling Nessie into her arms.

"What was what about?"

Both of her eyebrows shot up. "Edward Cullen, you are never more dangerous than when you're trying to act innocent. What are you up to?"

I crossed the room and kissed her forehead, plucking a laughing Ness from her arms. "No idea what you're talking about, Bella," I lied smoothly. "As for you, little one, I think midnight is quite late enough and you should be sleeping."

We shared a knowing grin as I carried her to her room and we both had to suppress a laugh when Bella hissed behind us.

It had taken her a week of stewing over it before Bella approached me about my secrecy. She started with odd looks at the two of us across whatever room we were in, then moved to pointed questions when we were caught muttering to each other.

It was driving her crazy and I had to admit, I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

"Edward," Bella asked one night as we were alone in our room.

"Yes, Bella?" I asked innocently, straightening an already straight picture frame on the wall.

"What were you and Jake talking about earlier?"

"Baseball game," I lied easily without so much as twitching when she stopped just behind me and slid her hands underneath my sweater to splay her fingers on my stomach.

"You were talking about baseball?" Her voice was clearly disbelieving.

"Mmmhmm," I hummed. "He thinks he can hold his own against us and wants to play during the next storm."

"And you?" She asked, her voice casual and her fingers deftly moving to undo the fastenings on my khakis. "What do you think?"

I waited until the zipper dropped and covered my hands with hers. "I think that while I'm enjoying what you're doing very much, I'm still not going to tell you what's going on."

She snarled then, deep in her throat. It was one of my favorite sounds, apart from the soft mews and moans she made in our bed (or floor, or against walls, we weren't picky.) I waited until the snarl ended and shifted into a growl before I spun, grabbed her in my arms and leapt us to the bed.

We didn't talk about her suspicions again for the rest of that night.

And, blessedly, her other attempts to wheedle information from me ended the same way.

In a very real sense, keeping this secret from Bella resulted in the happiest month, and, frankly, the best sex, I'd ever had. I'd have to do it more often.

Christmas morning dawned with very little fanfare in the main house. The occupants all stirred from whatever they'd been doing while a mythical saint rode across the night sky with eight reindeer and a never-ending sack of merchandise.

When I arrived in the main room, Jasper was already there. From the look on his face, he'd been taking smug lessons from Alice.

"Oh my God," I breathed out, laughing as his thoughts answered my questions. "How on earth did you manage to surprise her?"

"Blind spots," Jasper grinned.

It took me a second. "Jacob or Nessie?"

"Nessie. We didn't really go hunting the other day, I took her shopping with me instead and she's been holding onto the present since we bought it."

"She's going to be very put out with you, you know. Because you finally managed it."

Jasper's grin grew, if possible, wider. "Yes, I know. I'm rather looking forward to that part, too."

As I'd spent the better part of the last three weeks enjoying the side-benefits of Bella's anger at being kept in the dark, I merely chuckled and nodded. Then I winced.

"If you could keep from screaming your thoughts over that bit for a while, I'd appreciate it. She _is_ my sister, you know."

Jasper merely laughed and tossed a sofa cushion at me. "You're one to talk. You been finding mountain lions in heat lately, or what? The way you two have been at it..."

I launched myself at him just as Esme yelled from the stairs. "Not on Christmas morning, you two!"

We both relaxed and turned to her. "Yes, Mom," we intoned together with perfect sincerity while our shared glance promised a real matchup outside. Later.

The rest of the family trundled down the stairs shortly afterwards until we were all settled around the tree, passing out gifts and chatting as those gifts were opened.

Only Alice didn't share in the easy laughter. She looked, in a word, pissed.

"What's the matter, Alice?" I asked. "Didn't you like our gift?"

"No, I liked it fine," she glared at me. "But you'd be upset too if your husband forgot to get you a Christmas present."

All eyes flicked to Jasper, Esme's shocked gasp was immediately covered by a small bell-like giggle. All of our eyes turned to Renesmee as she flitted across the room to her aunt.

"Uncle Jasper didn't forget," she smiled up at Alice and produced a long, thin package from behind her back.

Alice took it from her with stunned disbelief all over her pixie face. "What...how...?" She took a full minute then raised her head to gape at her. "You helped him, Nessie?"

Ness merely nodded, her small brows contracting as her hand reached up to touch Alice's cheek. Alice gasped then smoothed her face out into a smile.

"Of course I'm not angry with you, Nessie," she said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek lightly. "I'm just surprised, that's all. In a very good way," she added. But the look she shot Jasper once Ness had returned to Bella's lap told me that I might have to wait in line to wrestle with Jasper later.

I waited until all the gifts were opened and being either tried out or tried on. Em and Rose were creating enough noise for five families as they hunted zombies on Em's Xbox.

I looked across the room at Jacob, who nodded and flipped a small wrapped package at me. In Bella's human days, she would have completely missed it. Her vampire eyes, however, missed nothing.

She gasped. The room went silent around us.

"Bella," Alice said, her voice ten levels of smug, "is something wrong?"

I knew then that Alice knew exactly what was going on, had known for some time, and had kept it from Bella. I caught her eye and gave her a grateful look.

 _Call us even, for Ness helping Jasper actually surprise me._

I grinned back at her.

"Nothing's wrong, no," Bella was quick to say, "I'm just a little surprised. I'd never expected a gift exchange between Jake and Edward, that's all."

"Oh, this?" I asked casually, holding up the small box. "This isn't for me. It's for you." I tossed the box at her before she could even open her mouth to protest. "And now that it's in your hand, it would be downright rude to not open it," I added, my face smoothing out into pure innocence.

She growled again as she had every time I'd worn the innocent face over the past three weeks.

Bella turned the box over and over in her hands, turning to the loveseat where Jacob sat, now with Ness on his lap, her fingers playing with the new bracelet he'd given her to replace the now too-small one.

"You had something to do with this?" She accused, her gold eyes narrowing.

"Take it down a few levels, Bells. It's just a present. It's not like he's asking you to remove your right arm for an hour or something," Jacob pulled a face, then winked at her.

Nessie shook her head and pushed out of Jacob's embrace to walk over to Bella. Her small hand reached up and touched Bella's cheek. I saw her show Bella the same picture of Jacob, herself and me as a team before she pinned her warm brown eyes on her mother. "Please?"

Bella had grudgingly accepted gifts from Carlisle and Esme, from Em, Rose, Jazz and Alice. She'd accepted hand-me-downs from me, and the occasional gift from Jacob. Every single one had garnered at least a handful of frowns.

For the daughter she'd never expected, for the battle they'd fought together, I knew Bella would never deny Renesmee anything.

She still let loose a small sigh before pushing the ribbon from the box. No one moved in the room, the vampires had all stopped breathing. Jacob and Ness were holding theirs.

Bella lifted the lid and pulled out the small keyring. She sighed again. "Honestly, Edward," she said, turning to me. "If I've not acquired a love for the Ferrari, I somehow doubt another unnecessary new car is going to change that."

I walked over to her and took her hands. "Maybe you should see the car first, Bella. You might be surprised."

I picked the location out of Jacob's head and nodded imperceptibly. Still holding her hands, I pulled her towards the front of the house. She alternated between glaring at me and trying to look over my shoulder. I had a thought to try and drag out the reveal, but her nose was already working, trying to gauge by scent what she couldn't see yet.

 _Damn bloodsucker senses. Wonder if I should cover her eyes and nose?_

I looked over Bella's head to nod at Jacob. He grinned and sprung into action, dashing over to stand behind Bella and clamp his hands over her nose and mouth with one hand, her eyes with the other.

"Jacob!" Bella protested, but it came out muffled.

"Relax, Bells. No going for the throat on Christmas. Esme'd hate that."

Jacob grinned at me and I had to stifle a laugh myself. "And you wouldn't want to upset her Christmas, would you?" I offered.

"I'm never as worried as I am when you two get along," she said around Jacob's hand. "Means something's…"

She stopped because we did, no longer moving forward, but positioned on the front steps. I didn't care that my back was to her present. That didn't interest me. Watching Bella's reaction did.

With a quick nod to Jacob, he released her face and stepped backwards. Her eyes, her face, went through several reactions at once. Shock. Disbelief. Joy. More shock. Then her face stopped reacting, having settled on a happiness so radiant, it put the sun to shame.

"How…what…when…you said…?"

We all laughed then, watching her splutter out her questions. It was the first time since she'd become an immortal that I'd heard her struggle for words like this and, irrationally, I found myself looking for her blush.

"Do you like it?" I asked softly.

"You said it was dead, Edward. Dead beyond hope of repair."

"I did. But, as it happens, I found a new mechanic who disagreed with my assessment."

She whirled then, facing Jacob. "You had a hand in this?" she accused, turning to Ness as well, "both of you?"

"Yep," Jacob agreed. "Nessie doesn't run the risk of impaling herself while handing me a screwdriver, so it went a lot faster than I expected. The parts were a search, but a bit easier when you don't have to actually _drive_ all over creation to look for them."

Bella, who'd smacked Jacob's arm at the screwdriver comment, walked over to thank him with a hug, rising on her toes to kiss his cheek. Ness received the same warm embrace, but Bella lingered a little longer with our daughter.

Then she was standing in front of me.

"This was your idea?"

"It was. You once told me that hand-me-downs were an acceptable gift. For once, I found a way to make us both happy at the same time."

Her eyebrow raised. "I think we've managed that a time or two over the years."

"Not over the subject of gifts, we haven't. Especially when it involves my giving them to you."

She considered that for a moment. "Fair point," she agreed at last.

We realized then that our family had disappeared as we'd spoken and we were alone on the porch. The key in her hand, Bella stepped off onto the front yard and walked over to the ancient red Chevy truck that had been her transportation when we first met. Ancient, but now perfectly restored.

She climbed in slowly, as if savoring the moment, and put the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life and echoed around the trees surrounding us. I barely heard it, though. I was too focused on her smile, her laughter, and the joy radiating from her topaz eyes.

"I take it I'm forgiven for deceiving you as well as lowering myself to the blasphemy of giving you a gift?"

Her eyes blazed at me from across the cab. A second later her hands were fisted in my shirt and she'd dragged me over to her. The newborn strength had lessened quite a bit over the last few months, much to Em's enjoyment, but she could still overpower me if I was taken by surprise.

"What do you think?"

It must've been a rhetorical question because her lips were on mine before I had a chance to respond. If I'd thought her pique with me over the past few weeks had inspired a heretofore untapped well of passion within her, it was nothing compared to what she was showing me now.

Her mouth moved over mine, nipping at my lower lip, taking my tongue deep within her mouth until I was groaning with need for her. A groan she answered by fisting her small hands in the fabric of my shirt and ripping it to shreds.

"Bella."

"Edward."

Then her hands slipped into my khakis and words became superfluous for quite some time.

Her slight fingers closed around me and the groan I let loose should have shattered windows. Her slow, steady torture almost shattered me. My hips arched once, everything in me wanted to take, to plunder, but Bella was calling the shots.

"So impatient," she whispered against my neck, sharp teeth grazing against granite skin.

"For you? Always."

She smiled at that. It wasn't a warm smile. It was feral. Desire nearly radiated from her pores while she pushed me away and slid over to join me on the passenger seat. Slowly, torturously, she straddled my lap, allowing her center to brush my cock just once, in a slow slide of motion.

We both groaned.

Whether her need was reaching the level of mine or she was just as impatient as I, I didn't know. Or care. Because her hands were between us a second later, fingers skimming my length as her panties shredded, and I was inside her.

I closed my eyes against the need, the overwhelming desire, the jolt of pure lust that took me over. A snarl ripped from my throat as my lips closed tight over her breast. When had her sweater gone? Again, I didn't know or care. There was just her warm skin, bared to my hands and mouth.

She whimpered when my teeth closed over one distended nipple, and her hips increased their rocking rhythm as I drew it slowly, deeply, into my mouth. I'd done my level best to let her set the pace, to keep my own body still while she rode me, but when her hands fisted in my hair and another small moan escaped her lips, I was undone.

My fingers pressed against the skin of her hips, stilling them above me. Tawny eyes met mine, confused and challenging at the same time. I merely stretched my neck up to take her mouth in a bruising kiss then pistoned my hips upward, driving deep. Deep. Deeper still. With every inch I buried myself, another moan, another wave of keening filled the truck's cab.

I fought against the reactions I always had to her soft sounds, my body reaching, aching for release. I could tell she was dancing on the same precipice as I, body strung as tight as a piano wire, and a slipped my long fingers between us to stroke the bundle of nerves in time with my thrusts. Seconds later I felt Bella fly apart above me, her muscles clenching around my cock at the precise moment I lost all handle on my control. Together we shuddered and writhed, our bodies moving together as we lost ourselves in wave after wave of pure pleasure.

Later, when breathing and speaking were possible again, I felt Bella's soft chuckle vibrate against my chest.

"Going to share the joke?"

"I was just thinking that you missed out on one human experience, Mr. I'm-Nothing-If-Not-Thorough."

"Making love in your truck was a human experience you wish you'd had?"

"I wouldn't call that 'making love' per say. More like..."

"A full on attack of mutual lust?"

Bella considered, and then grinned. "That works."

"Worked for me, too," I agreed. "Though now I'm upset that I missed a human experience you wanted."

"Yeah," she sighed, "I'd hoped that Mike would help me, since you were _so_ averse-" Bella broke off with a squeak when I smacked lightly at the beautifully rounded ass still sitting bare on my lap.

"I suppose we should get back in to the house? Celebrate Christmas with our family?" I paused. "Get you dressed before your father and Sue turn up? I'd say this," I said with a hand wave over her beautiful body, "definitely falls under something he doesn't need to know."

"Unless you're planning on wishing Dad a happy holiday without your pants on, you'll need a trip upstairs as well, Edward Cullen."

My face turned serious and I cradled her face in my hands. "Merry Christmas, Bella."

"Merry Christmas," she answered in the same tone.

Our lips came together in a soft kiss before we disconnected our bodies. Whether our joining had been soft and slow or mad and frantic like today, one soft kiss was always the coda to our lovemaking. The perfect post-script to the love letters our bodies wrote together.

So it had always been, so it would always be.

Forever.


End file.
